Happiness
glows in the dark

If you crave dark comedy, you'll savor Happiness,
winner of the International Critics Prize at the 1998 Cannes film festival.
But beware, this sharply written and directed Todd Solondz (Welcome
to the Dollhouse) film is not for the weak of heart or stomach.

Happiness
revolves around three New Jersey sisters -- unsuccessful singer Joy (Jane
Adams); brittle author Helen (Lara Flynn Boyle); and deliriously deluded
housewife Trish (Cynthia Stevenson). Joy, Helen and Trish pursue Happiness
as if the condition were an inalienable right. But their goal doesn't
matter as much as their journey and the strange and unforgettable people
they meet along the way.

After Joy dumps suitor
John Lovitz, it surprises no one that this particular worm turns and dumps
a major curse on Joy and all her kin. Joy attracts disaster like ships
called "unsinkable." Everything that follows seems designed to show the
curse is working, but is it really the curse? Maybe it's just the relatives.

Seemingly self-assured
sister Helen cannot accept her own success. Plagued by self-loathing,
she pursues an unsatisfying relationship with an obscene phone caller
(Philip Seymour Hoffman), with problems of his own.

Trish cultivates
obliviousness. She cheerfully ignores the fact that her psychoanalyst
husband (Dylan Baker) sexually molests his son's friends. Baker delivers
a top-notch performance that draws you inside the husband's struggle and
failure to control his urges. But the subject remains so disturbing, his
performance becomes almost impossible to watch.

Camryn Manheim, an
overweight neighbor who harbors a cold secret, will make you laugh so
hard, you'll cry. Ben Gazzara and Louise Lasser, the sisters' unloving
parents, round out a first-rate cast. Even Marla Maples shines in the
role of a divorced real estate agent.

Full of highs and
very low lows, Happiness alternates between funny, sad and
gross. But the sisters' basic goodness ennobles the movie, even when the
situation takes a turn towards the despicable. Some scenes will horrify
you, but if you stick with it and roll with it, Happiness
becomes your reward